NEW DELHI: India and the UAE have concluded a joint naval drill aimed at enhancing joint operating capabilities between the two navies, the Indian Navy said on Saturday.
The drill, codenamed Zayed Talwar, took place off the coast of the UAE from Aug. 8-11.
Indian naval ships INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand, which took part in the exercise, reached Port Rashid in Dubai on Tuesday.
The two-day exercise came a week after the Indian Navy’s largest, indigenously designed missile destroyer INS Chennai was deployed for a mission on the Red Sea, including a port call to Jeddah and an exercise with the Royal Saudi Naval ship HMS Al-Jubail.
Both countries have agreed to increase interaction between their navies to “jointly tackle the common challenges of piracy, smuggling, human trafficking, enhance maritime security and undertake joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, should the need arise,” a statement by the Indian Navy said on Saturday.
INS Visakhapatnam, commanded by Capt. Ashok Rao, one of the largest operational destroyers in the Indian Navy, was made by the Mazagaon Docks Limited. INS Trikand, commanded by Capt. Pramod G. Thomas, is an advanced stealth frigate commissioned in 2013.
“I am confident that participation of the ship in the exercise not only allows us to have good professional interactions but also enables understanding with each other so that we can jointly secure the area,” Rao told Prasar Bharati, India’s official broadcaster, on Friday.
Thomas also expressed optimism that the exercise would be tactically important for the Indian Navy.
“I’m sanguine that the upcoming exercise will allow the crew to cross train on tactics, techniques and procedures, while developing stronger professional bonds between our navies,” he said.
Growing military cooperation between India and the Middle East will deepen economic and strategic relations, experts believe.
“Traditionally, India’s interactions with the west Asian region were primarily focused on energy and expatriates, but defense and security cooperation have emerged as a major driver of deeper economic and strategic relations,” Ranjit Kumar, a strategic affairs expert based in New Delhi, told Arab News.
“India considers the Gulf region as its immediate neighborhood, and in the fast-changing geopolitical ecology, both India and the Gulf considers it in their national interest to deepen mutual trust, cooperation and partnership in the defense arena,” he said.
India’s growing economic heft is also attracting west Asian countries.
Mohammed Soliman, director at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said that growing defense ties with the Middle East indicates how significant the region is for India’s geopolitical interests.
“The Middle East is vital for India’s defense and geopolitical strategy due to its role in energy security, trade routes, expanding geopolitical influence, and projecting naval power to safeguard maritime interests,” he told Arab News.
“The naval exercises significantly enhance bilateral relations, improve maritime security, promote regional stability, increase interoperability, and send diplomatic signals,” Soliman said.
India, UAE conclude joint Arabian Gulf naval exercise
https://arab.news/6duvn
India, UAE conclude joint Arabian Gulf naval exercise
- Two-day drill comes a week after Indian Navy missile destroyer INS Chennai deployed for Red Sea mission
- Growing military cooperation between India, Middle East will deepen economic and strategic relations, experts say
France warns of ‘provocation’ if Russian drone buzzed aircraft carrier
- Sweden said one of its navy vessels had spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometers from France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier
- Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel
MALMO, Sweden: France’s foreign minister said Friday that if a drone seen this week near a French aircraft carrier visiting Sweden turned out to be Russian — a claim Moscow called “absurd” — it would be a “ridiculous provocation.”
Sweden said one of its navy vessels had spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometers (eight miles) from France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
On Thursday, Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonson told the broadcaster SVT that the drone was “probably” of Russian origin.
“There was a Russian military vessel in the immediate vicinity at the time,” he added.
“If indeed... there is a potential Russian origin for this incident, the only conclusion I would draw is that it would be a ridiculous provocation,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier.
Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel.
“The drone was neutralized away from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and in no way was the security of the aircraft carrier and its group threatened by this.”
- ‘Absurd’ accusation: Moscow -
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed his country’s position in comments Friday.
“It is likely a Russian drone,” Kristersson told reporters during a visit to the aircraft carrier.
“We are now investigating it in more detail, but there is a lot to suggest that this is the case.”
He did not believe it was a coincidence that the incident occurred while the aircraft carrier was visiting, he added. “It is a Russian way of acting that we recognize from other places.”
Asked about the allegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists it was “quite an absurd statement.”
According to the Swedish authorities, its navy jammed the drone using electronic signals to attempt to break the connection between the aircraft and its operator, or disrupt its navigation tools.
- Numerous drone sightings -
The Swedish Armed Forces said Thursday that “no further drone sightings” had been made and that they were investigating the incident.
The French Navy’s flagship and its escort, made a port call on Wednesday for the first time in the Swedish port of Malmo, before joining NATO exercises.
Speaking to reporters, Alice Rufo, the number two minister at the French defense ministry, played down the incident.
“We cannot describe what happened as an incident. There was indeed a drone, which was dealt with very pro-actively by our Swedish partner,” Rufo said.
The drone had been stopped over 10 kilometers away from “the Charles de Gaulle, which in any case is fully ready to be completely protected, with every measure in place,” she added.
The nearby Baltic Sea is a theater of rivalry between Russia and the NATO alliance countries.
NATO’s easternmost countries have reported numerous drone sightings in recent months, with some pointing the finger at Russia.
Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is growing concern that such disruption could be part of hybrid war tactics by Moscow against the European nations which have backed Kyiv.
